The Iowa plain dealer. [volume] (New Oregon, Howard County, Iowa) 1867-1895, 1887-04-07

the Latin nations, following the Greek
Church, have adopted the Hebrew word
for .passing-ovcr" It IS not unlikely that
q substantive word like pasch, conforming
to our adjective paschal, will soon begin to
figure in place of the word Easter" This
will come about through the tastes and in
clinations of Americans who have lived,
abroad, and who desire universal term
for the august fast and festival OF the cru
cifxion and ascension Of our Lord Jesus
Christ.
Il has been the custom of all people tc
merge old festivals into new celebrations.
Thus when the Jews were led out Of
Egypt and had passed mraculously
through the Rel Sea, they found themselves
in tn, pagan season OF the Spring festival.
Il was both natural and excellent to re-
christcn the period OF joy rather than tc
abolish it. This cypedicnt has prevailed
in all ages.
The jews have verb, pGsach, or pdssach
meaning to spare, to pass over, to protect.
The Passover was therefore called Pesach,
in con eormity with thu genius Of the
language.
So suddenly were the Jews delivered out
Of Egypt that they hal no time to leavcn
their dough. THIS small misnap, foreshadow-
ing Their inconceivable good fortune
WIS adopted as a mishap to be loyfuily
accepted each year. Hence the seven days
Of unlcavened bread among the Jews OF to
day. The paschal full moon determines their
feast, as we'll as that OF Easter among
Christians, ani both jew and Gentle
worship and rejoice at the same time.
Pcsach begins at sunset OF Saturday and
lasts through Easter week
Our Lord suffered at the Passover. The
l. al L
en- procia med by the H gh Priests. Our
movable feasts are tho only relic we have
of the lunar year Of the Jews. We OBJ
serve Christmas by the fixed reckoning Of
the Romans, because our knowledge OF
the day OF Chr SITS birth came to US from
Roman sources; but it is the Passover
which gave Us the exact time Of the Res
direction. 1t is thus always likely to be
kept after the reckoning OF the Hebrews.
Tho Greeks made pdscha out OF Icsach;
the Russians. pdscho; the Latins, pdschd;
the Italians, rasqaa; the Spaniards. pdscnd;
the Portuguese, pascal, and the French,
pasque The French have dropped tic s,
and now call Easter paques; the Dutch have
it paasch There is an English noun, pasch,
pronounced paSk. 1t may be Easter will
como to be called by that name.
The latest rcvisers OF the Bible have
thrown out the word fGstef from the only
place it hell in the King James version.
In the twelfth chapter Of Acts it is related
that Herod laid hold of Peter in the days
of unleavenel bread, intending Verse ~
after Easter TO bring HIN forth to the poo-
ple.n The revisers have substituted Ter
Easter the word passover. Tho manuscripts
| read meta to pGscha-Greck for after the Pass
| OUer.
In adopting the Jewish manner Of count
| ing the day OF Easter, the Christian
! fathers were forced into some peculiar
| astronomical tactics. The Jews had SO far
! bewildered themselves that there was q
feeling well established that their sacred
reckoning was wrong. The conservative
Jews Of this dry celebrate two days each
holiday in order to be surely right. The
ecclesiastical full moon is an imaginary
orb. like our clock-sun, and was devised by
Moses. The Council OF Nee, in 1926, &C.
cepted for the whole church the rule that
1 Easter should be the first Sunday that fell
after the ecclesiastical full moon of March
81; il tho full moon fell on Sunday,
Easter should be the next Sunday. An
astronomer named Clavius drew up 9
table Of cycles, and the imaginary moon